The 2026-09-01 snapshot lists a 12.5% historical asylum grant rate for Craig A. Defoe at Chicago, IL, based on 716 grants and 4,996 denials (5,712 decided outcomes).
The 2026-09-01 EOIR snapshot lists Craig A. Defoe with Chicago, IL. With an asylum approval rate of 12.5%, this judge is below average compared to the national average. Data sourced from EOIR (Executive Office for Immigration Review). Historical listings do not by themselves establish a current assignment.
Community Discussion
DATAAsylumTracker Data
Judge Defoe (Chicago, IL) data snapshot: Overall rate fell from 20% to 2% in 3 years
A few numbers worth knowing if you have a hearing in front of Judge Defoe, Craig A. (IJ code CDE, Chicago, IL):
Overall track record
26 years on the bench (since 2001), 6,078 cases total, lifetime grant rate 13.2%
Last 3 years (2023–2026): 4,535 cases, grant rate 8.7% — 3.7pp below the Chicago court average (12.4%)
Nationality breakdown (2023–2026 cumulative)
Nationality / Cases / Grant rate
Mexico 1056 5.7%
Venezuela 627 8.9%
Nicaragua 517 4.3%
Honduras 448 2.7%
Guatemala 337 4.5%
Ecuador 260 1.2%
Colombia 259 0.4%
El Salvador 95 5.6%
Nigeria 93 9.3%
India 90 17.1%
Haiti 87 0.0%
Year-by-year
2023: 771 cases, 20.5% grant rate
2024: 1076 cases, 10.6% grant rate
2025: 1599 cases, 6.4% grant rate
2026: 1089 cases, 2.4% grant rate
If you've appeared before Judge Defoe, I'd love to hear:
1. What's your nationality, and when was your most recent hearing?
2. How did your attorney prepare for this judge specifically?
Source: EOIR (U.S. Executive Office for Immigration Review) public statistics, May 2026 release, compiled by AsylumTracker. A judge's historical pattern does not predict the outcome of any individual case; this is shared to help set realistic expectations. Real-experience accounts from the community are welcome.
Have experience with this judge? Open AsylumTracker to reply or read more responses from the community.
How to Interpret These Judge Statistics
Craig A. Defoe is listed with the Chicago, IL Immigration Court. The headline asylum grant rate shown here is 12.5% based on granted and denied asylum decisions represented in the current dataset.
Among the largest nationality groups shown for this judge, the table highlights Mexico (1,253 decided, 8.6% grant rate), Venezuela (700 decided, 9.9% grant rate), and Nicaragua (585 decided, 5.1% grant rate). Compare these rows with the judge's overall rate because nationality mix can materially change how the headline number should be read.
Grant rate is calculated as granted / (granted + denied). Other procedural outcomes, including terminated, withdrawn, administratively closed, or removed cases, are tracked separately where available and are not treated as asylum grants.
This page is based on public EOIR data last updated 2026-09-01. It is for research and information only, not legal advice.
Judge Craig A. Defoe granted asylum in 12.5% of 5,712 decided cases (grants plus denials), according to EOIR data.
Does Judge Craig A. Defoe grant asylum more or less often than other judges?
The rate (12.5%) is below the 16.6% national rate; the median judge at Chicago, IL grants 14.0%. It is a historical average, not a prediction for any one case.
How is this grant rate calculated?
Grants divided by grants plus denials. Terminations, withdrawals and administrative closures are not counted.
